Oil Wars

Ongoing analysis of events in Venezuela and Iraq

Friday, March 17, 2006

Are you better off now than you were four years ago?

Ronald Reagan used that exact question to devestating effect in a debate against Jimmy Carter in their 1980 debate. Most Americans hear that question, answered no, and proceded to vote Carter out of office.

So how would most Venezuelans answer that question today about Chavez's seven years in office? Thanks to a Sejias poll published in Ultimas Noticias today we can have a good idea.

According to the poll 65.9% of Venezuelans think the country has improved during Chavez's tenure while 34.1% think things have gotten worse. But the key is their personal situation. And on that score 64.4% say their own personal situation has improved while 37.7% say it has gotten worst (hopefully the polling firm is better at polling than it is at arithmatic).

So during the upcoming elections all Chavez has to do is plant the simple question "are you better off now than you were seven years ago" and almost certainly he'll be re-elected.